Lepanthes saltatrix Luer & Hirtz 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photos by © Eric Hunt
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
TYPE by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Female Dancer Lepanthes [refers to the fanciful flower]
Flower Size 1/8" [3 mm]
Found in Colombia and Ecuador in cloud forests as a miniature sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte at elevations of 300 to 1300 meters with erect to suberect, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by 7 to 8 minutely ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths carrying a single, apical, spreading, thinly coriaceous, pale rose or lavender, with rose or lavender reticulation, ovate, subacute leaf with smooth margins and a rounded base that blooms in the winter through spring on a congested, distichous, successively several flowered, 1/2" [1.25 cm] long, racemose inflorescence with echinate floral bracts.
Similar to the wide-ranging L calodictyon and sufficiently different from the following to be separate species L. barbelifera Luer & Hirtz, L. bibarbullata Luer, L microcalodictyon L pantominia, L pretiosa, L tentacula, L. tortuosa Luer & Hirtz, L volador and the recently described species L. kayii L. Baquero.
This one differs in the reticulated, pale lavender to green, non undulate-margined leaves the three veined lateral sepals, the shortly pubescent petals without coarse cilia on the margins and a lip that is twice as large as L calodictyon.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide;
Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 5 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 photo fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #12 2012 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 83 #3 2019 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 photo fide; Lankesteriana 18: 183 Baquero & J S Moreno 2018 photo fide;
Checked type drawing W3Tropicos OK
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